Abu Dhabi unites developers, unveils new Al Reem Island plan

The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) on Monday unveiled its new master plan for Al Reem Island, which will have 10,000 hotel rooms, 11 schools, a light rail transit system and will house 210,000 residents on completion.

“This is a unique master development as it is being developed by three master developers. They were initially developing their phases on their own, but now we have developed a new integrated concept master plan with defines their boundaries and plans,” Mohamed Al Khadar, Executive Director, Urban Development & Estidama Sector, UPC, told Emirates 24/7.The integrated concept master plan covers a total land area of 8.869 million square metres, with a total gross floor area (GFA) of almost 20 million square metres of which 1.442 million square metres GFA is allocated for office space, 873,576 square metres for retail (including Reem Mall), and 10,000 hotel and serviced apartment rooms.

It will also have 11 private schools accommodating 20,000 students, six nursery/kindergarten centres, one university (Paris Sorbonne), three new private hospitals and a number of clinics, nine mosques, transit hub, and 500,000 square metres of parks and open spaces, including pedestrian promenades for the island’s coastline.

The plan is in line with Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision, providing for managed growth of the housing market, commercial offices and retail space in close proximity to the existing central business district on Al Maryah Island.

When asked if master developers will share their plans with each other, Al Khadar said: “It is very important for developers to share with each other their developments and make the island different and more attractive. Now, from the integrated concept plan, they all know each other’s land use and their projects.”

The plan was submitted by Bunya, incorporated by the island’s three master developers, Tamouh, Reem Developers and Aldar Properties, in December 2014, after working closely with the UPC and the three master developers over the past seven years to create the new plan. The UPC gave its nod on the proposal in April 2015.

Tamouh is developing 57 per cent of Al Reem Island, Aldar 20 per cent, and Reem Developers 20 per cent. Only 15 of the master development has been completed or is under construction since the launch of the master development in 2005, but now the island is home to 20,000 residents.

Although Al Khadar did not give the number of housing units likely to be built or a final completion date for the island, he said all will depend on the final plan submitted by the master developers and the demand-supply trends over the years.

Tamouh Managing Director Joe Ong, however, disclosed that they will be delivering nearly 4500 new homes in the coming two years on the island. Aldar and Reem did not share any details, but the former recently launched Shams Meera, a mid-market product on Shams Abu Dhabi, one of the phases of the Al Reem Island.

In a statement, UPC’s Director-General Falah Al Ahbabi said: “The integrated master plan for Al Reem Island forms an integral part of Abu Dhabi’s path toward sustainable urban growth in line with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 and is a core component of Plan Capital 2030. The approval of the Integrated Concept Master Plan for Al Reem Island is a tremendous achievement and a major milestone for Abu Dhabi City.”